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I too had problems deciding on whether to go with the sleeve or the bypass and ended up deciding on the sleeve. I was not comfortable at the time of my surgery (1/21/2019) to rearrange my internals for WLS when the research that I had done, along with the information that I had discussed with my doctor has educated me that both surgery's have a very high success rate and doctors are now finding that performing the Gastric Sleeve is effective without needed to complete a total Bypass... there are also less risks and complications involved with the Sleeve. Currently I have not had any reflux issues, which I have had in the past... not everyone's journey is the same.. so I feel that while listening to other people's stories is helpful., ultimately you need to make a choice that you are comfortable with... one thing that people often forget is this is also a life style change.. not just a quick fix.. my stomach is smaller but once it's healed I can go back to eating anything I want.. if that's a person's mentality then I feel you're setting yourself up for failure long term. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 10 days post op. I have had no nausea . The only pain I get is backache which is probably from sleeping differently to usual. I don't have issues drinking, it seems to be fairly easy to get the recommended amounts in per day. We are currently in the middle of a heatwave with temps of around 44C so I am drinking more than would normally be recommended. The things I am struggling with are general tiredness and weakness. I can't seem to shake that but I did end up having 2 GAs in 1 day and getting 4 units of blood so those are probably major contributory factors

I am glad to join this group to assist in my new journey to being and living healthy. I was sleeved on January 16, 2019, and just had my one week follow up with the surgeon today. I am down 14 lbs and two points on my BMI and am excited!!! 80 lbs to go, but I know I can do it with the assistance of my new tools.

Hi, ldawn! I start my liquid diet on 1/30/2019. Which protein are you using?

We are surgery buddies. I start my pre- op diet on 02-11-19 this is what I am really worried about. I dont want to be hungry and angry (hangry) at work. Good Luck please keep us updated. You got this !!!

I am so excited my Bypass surgery date is scheduled for 2-25-19. I cant wait to go thru this journey with all of you. Please let me know how you all do as you are going thru it.

It took me about a 10 days to hear back and get my surgery date. Good luck let us know what they say.

I wouldn't call my diet a true therapeutic keto diet, since I am basically doing 1:1 fat to protein. I would call it more of a keto inspired diet. It's the best I can do keto, while I am limited to about 1000-1200 calories a day at this point. Since I still have to get around 120-150g of protein to meet my daily needs (since I am working out a lot), I just can't eat enough fat and still stick to my calorie goals (and I don't want to go too high on calories this early post-op). Nevertheless, I am still in ketosis, but I get kicked out if I have too much protein in one meal. Since I am hitting my protein goals daily, I do try to prime the pump by eating some good fats first (like avocado) before I eat my protein. As for keto sticks, they aren't the most reliable tests, but if you're in your first month to 6 weeks of a very low carb diet (20 or less grams), they are helpful in letting you know if you're in ketosis. However, if you get a reading on them doesn't show acetate (which is a by product of ketosis) in your urine, that doesn't mean you're not in ketosis--so, in the sense they aren't reliable. Of course, they are only reliable in the beginning. Once you become fat adapted, you shouldn't have any acetate in your urine. The blood test is obviously the most accurate way to check, but I am just not up for spending $60 bucks for a blood meter kit and just 10 test strips, since the test strips are so freakin' expensive. The keto sticks are good enough for my purpose and there are plenty of physical signs that you're in ketosis after the 6 week mark anyway. Frankly, with or without a ketogenetic diet most early bariatric patients are going to be in ketosis anyway because they are consuming barely any calories. A ketogenetic diet essentially stimulates the benefits of a fast, without having to actually fast (although you would want to mix in intermittent fasting with keto if you want to maximize losses---if you are NOT a bariatric patient or are more than a year post-op). Also, even you are a bypass patient, you can still do keto--but you have to start a little differently by phasing in fats over the course of a few weeks rather than making sudden transition which a non-bariatric patient might do. There are plenty of resources online for bariatric patients (including bypass patients) that would like to transition to a keto diet.

I discussed stress eating during my psych eval. That psychologist recommended individual counseling to work on managing stress but did not consider it a surgery disqualifier. After the psych eval, I voluntarily stopped eating most carbs to get in line with the post surgery expectations (about 10-15% of my intake now is carbs from nuts and veggies). I found that I was not really stress eating, I was craving carbs, the stress just allowed me to say that eating sugar laden foods was comfortable and acceptable because stress was 'painful'. Hopefully you have other options for surgery groups, mostly because it seems kind of disrespectful to say 'yeah you are wrong' about your own life. Most surgeons have seen so many patients who lie to themselves about quantity and types of food that the doctor may feel like you just don't want to admit truths (even if that is not the case). There can be jaded individuals in any profession that has "seen it all" and may say something based on their experiences that do not apply to you.

Simple, but true. Attribution here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2018/10/22/what-happens-after-bariatric-surgery-makes-a-big-difference/#7fa2c4ec29b1 "What Happens After Bariatric Surgery Makes A Big Difference"

I just wanted to share about my experience in Mexico. I arrived at the San Diego airport on 1/16/2019 and I was scared to death. A very nice young man named Robert picked us up as soon as we got our luggage and was very polite and encouraging on the way to the hospital which starting calming me down. We arrived at the hospital and they were ready for us. The Valet (which is the person that takes care of my husband all week) unloaded our luggage and took us to register. After I filled out the paperwork we were shown to my room. All of my preop testing started (blood work, vitals, EKG) and my IV got hooked up. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. My nerves were finally starting to calm as they explained the processes throughout the day to me. They brought me "dinner" and my husband ordered off of the menu which he said the food was good all week. ($8 for dinner and $5 for Breakfast. He asked for a Coca-Cola and the Valet actually went to the store and bought. I was the first surgery in the morning 1/17/2019. It went great. They kept my husband informed. I slept off and on most of the day but was in no pain and got up and walked every time I was awake. This day I could only chew icechips and spit the Water out. They don't want you to drink anything until you have another "leak" test. Friday 1/18/2019 consisted of my leak test which was fine. Then they brought me a tray of juices and broth. I mostly sipped water and a little juice as I was very bloated from the gas during surgery. I walked as much as I could in between Netflix (the tv has an Amazon Firestick). Later in the day, the Nutritionist brought me a care package that had a bunch of drinks and samples from the BariatricPal Store. She went over the post-op diet and what to expect. She gave me a folder with detailed instructions and a Bariatric Help Book. I was given all of the meds that I would have to take at home with an instruction sheet, Multivitamins, pain meds, Maalox, antibiotics and shots that I have to give in my stomach every night for 7 nights to prevent clotting. I have to admit the shot the first night scared me to death but the needle is so small that I didn't even feel it. Saturday 1/19/2019 morning our tour guides arrived and I was discharged from the hospital. They took us to our hotel. (Real Inn) and they checked us in and escorted us to our rooms. At 11am we met in the lobby and went on a guided tour of Tijuana. It was a lot of walking but it was needed. They took us to Caesar's restaurant which was nice. We were seated immediately and the companions ordered off of the menu and the "Sleevers" ordered Soup. The Soups were strained so we just had the broth but OMG it was the best French Onion broth I have ever had. I couldn't eat it all and ate very slow but it was amazing. We went shopping along the strip and bought souvenirs. After our tour we went back to the hotel in which I pretty much passed out. Sunday 1/20/2019, our flight was at 10:30am so the driver had to pick us up at 6:30am in order to cross the border and give us time to go through TSA. This process when flawlessly. We had a 4 1/2 hour nonstop flight home and I paid for comfort seats in the front row. This enabled me to stand up every hour and go to the bathroom to prevent blood clots. The flight wore me out and I pretty much went to sleep as soon as I got home. Since I got home, I have learned that very small sips are better because I am 8 days post op and although I have had no pain, Gas-X has been my friend. Yesterday was the first day I was actually able to get all of my recommended amount of liquids down just because I feel every time it hits my stomach. Each day gets better and better. I know this is a long post but I wanted to share my experience in Mexico to help anyone that might be scared or hesitant. The nurses, doctors and all of the support staff were very nice. The care was amazing compared to the hospitals in my home town. The only suggestion I would have is to make sure you either speak Spanish or have a translation app on your phone because it is helpful with the nurses and that way you don't have to have the Valet translate every time. They speak English but very limited. I would highly recommend BariatricPalMx!!!!!

I just wanted to share about my experience in Mexico. I arrived at the San Diego airport on 1/16/2019 and I was scared to death. A very nice young man named Robert picked us up as soon as we got our luggage and was very polite and encouraging on the way to the hospital which starting calming me down. We arrived at the hospital and they were ready for us. The Valet (which is the person that takes care of my husband all week) unloaded our luggage and took us to register. After I filled out the paperwork we were shown to my room. All of my preop testing started (blood work, vitals, EKG) and my IV got hooked up. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. My nerves were finally starting to calm as they explained the processes throughout the day to me. They brought me "dinner" and my husband ordered off of the menu which he said the food was good all week. ($8 for dinner and $5 for breakfast. He asked for a Coca-Cola and the Valet actually went to the store and bought. I was the first surgery in the morning 1/17/2019. It went great. They kept my husband informed. I slept off and on most of the day but was in no pain and got up and walked every time I was awake. This day I could only chew icechips and spit the water out. They don't want you to drink anything until you have another "leak" test. Friday 1/18/2019 consisted of my leak test which was fine. Then they brought me a tray of juices and broth. I mostly sipped water and a little juice as I was very bloated from the gas during surgery. I walked as much as I could in between Netflix (the tv has an Amazon Firestick). Later in the day, the Nutritionist brought me a care package that had a bunch of drinks and samples from the BariatricPal store. She went over the post-op diet and what to expect. She gave me a folder with detailed instructions and a Bariatric Help Book. I was given all of the meds that I would have to take at home with an instruction sheet, multivitamins, pain meds, Maalox, antibiotics and shots that I have to give in my stomach every night for 7 nights to prevent clotting. I have to admit the shot the first night scared me to death but the needle is so small that I didn't even feel it. Saturday 1/19/2019 morning our tour guides arrived and I was discharged from the hospital. They took us to our hotel. (Real Inn) and they checked us in and escorted us to our rooms. At 11am we met in the lobby and went on a guided tour of Tijuana. It was a lot of walking but it was needed. They took us to Caesar's restaurant which was nice. We were seated immediately and the companions ordered off of the menu and the "Sleevers" ordered soup. The soups were strained so we just had the broth but OMG it was the best French Onion broth I have ever had. I couldn't eat it all and ate very slow but it was amazing. We went shopping along the strip and bought souvenirs. After our tour we went back to the hotel in which I pretty much passed out. Sunday 1/20/2019, our flight was at 10:30am so the driver had to pick us up at 6:30am in order to cross the border and give us time to go through TSA. This process when flawlessly. We had a 4 1/2 hour nonstop flight home and I paid for comfort seats in the front row. This enabled me to stand up every hour and go to the bathroom to prevent blood clots. The flight wore me out and I pretty much went to sleep as soon as I got home. Since I got home, I have learned that very small sips are better because I am 8 days post op and although I have had no pain, Gas-X has been my friend. Yesterday was the first day I was actually able to get all of my recommended amount of liquids down just because I feel every time it hits my stomach. Each day gets better and better. I know this is a long post but I wanted to share my experience in Mexico to help anyone that might be scared or hesitant. The nurses, doctors and all of the support staff were very nice. The care was amazing compared to the hospitals in my home town. The only suggestion I would have is to make sure you either speak Spanish or have a translation app on your phone because it is helpful with the nurses and that way you don't have to have the Valet translate every time. They speak English but very limited. I would highly recommend BariatricPalMx!!!!!

The 16 lbs has been since preop diet started 1/1/19. Everyday gets better. Except for the incisions I have had a great start!

Had VGS surgery 1/15/19 Honestly to date I have experienced no pain and lost 16 lbs. I had to get on protein based shakes due to milk allergy. But doing well after surgery. They did remove the lap band. Just want to encourage other s in their journey.

I'm on day 7. . .I felt crappy the first few days but it got easier. . .7 more to go. . You got this! I keep reminding myself that healthier and skinnier you is waiting to show up to show out 2019. Good luck!

I am 6 months post op and I was on pantoprazole until roughly 15 weeks out taking it twice a day from about week 10-15. Once I was completely off it the reflux was triggered with just about everything. I think its most due in part to the sleeve kind of being in shock of solid foods and is adjusting to in-taking it. I has gotten significantly better since that initial shock phase but it is still there at a more calm state depending on many factors. Such as what I have eaten, the position my upper body is in, and whether I chewed well. I find that moving after eating or simply taking a halftime during my meal helps a lot. Just sitting there after meal doesn't do my digestive process any good because lets face it, not many of use have perfect posture to promote the easiest path of travel for our food down the digestive track. Some remedies I use to reduce the reflux/hearburn are to eat my meal with a side of pickled ginger or ginger root tea 30/45 minutes after my meal. Laying down after a meal is a no go for me because I find to use gravity to my advantage for digestion. No medications and barely any antiacids required, I focus on vegetables and proteins cooked without oils that make it harder to digest. It's all a give and take to figure out what you can tolerate and make those good decisions because your sleeve will let you know if it is not comfortable with your food choice.

I have had GERD for about 30 years, literally. I have been on some old school meds, and then on a PPI for about 19 years now. Even post VSG, and losing all my regain, my GERD persists. yes I am still taking a PPI. I've been on them all: Protonix, Nexium, Prevacid, Aciphex, etc. I was told that after all my loss if it still persists then yes, RNY revision is my only option. I'm now 4.5 years post VSG and STILL hoping it will clear up...

My psych eval was a 10 minute chat. He checked off about 5 boxes and that was it - cleared.

No liver shrink diet for me. I was asked to lose 10-15lbs. and I lost 20, not hard at all since I had 6 months to do it. If I had lost any more I would not have qualified because I didn't have 2 co-morbidities. I had to do two days of clear liquids.

My only incision was in my belly button. Self dissolving stitches and some sort of glue that formed a sort of "plug". It started to fake away about 10 days later and completely fell off in about 2-3 weeks.

I sent in my first application to see if they would even accept me into the bariatric program on Dec 18th 2018 (they accepted me 4 weeks later) and I will have my last appt March 5th 2019 and ready to submit to insurance. It will take up to 30 days for insurance to approve so I'm looking at an April Surgery. So from Start to surgery day it will be 4 months roughly. Sent from my moto e5 (XT1920DL) using BariatricPal mobile app

I had gb in 2011. Weight loss was not as successful as it should have been. I only lost like 75 lbs, came to a plateau for about 6 months and then I started gainin it back. Now here it is 2019 abd Im only 7 lbs down from where I started when I had my surgery. Thought about seeing if could have a revision done but I had a rough surgery due to being allergic to steri-strips its was hard for my incisions to heal. They broke out real bad and looked bad, when I was finally able to get those iff then I started healing. This is what has stopped me frim getting a revision done. I didnt have a very supportive doctor through this. Had it done in Arizona but I now live in Missouri. So finding a doctor that will do a revision since a diff doctor originally done it. Thought about going to see Dr Nowzarden in Texas to see what he can do to help me. Sent from my LG-H872 using BariatricPal mobile app